In brief

A documentary filmmaker who chronicled the life of a California jewel thief says the 83-year-old woman who was recently arrested in Palm Desert vowed earlier this summer that she wouldn't steal again.

The Los Angeles Times reports that Matthew Pond said Doris Payne made the promise after she was released from a Northern California prison where she was serving time for crimes out of San Diego County.

Payne was arrested Tuesday after she was suspected of stealing a $22,000 ring from a Palm Desert store on Oct. 21.

Over more than five decades, Payne claims to have swiped millions of dollars' worth of jewels in the U.S. and Europe by posing as a well-to-do buyer. She has four theft convictions since 2009 in Southern California.

Board wants Army Corps to restore L.A. habitat

A state board has ordered the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to mitigate damage caused to 49 acres of wildlife habitat at two sites along the Los Angeles River.

The Los Angeles Times says the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board gave the Corps 60 days to submit a plan for restoring the areas.

The board's executive officer said in a letter that the agency will file a federal lawsuit if the Corps refuses to comply.